Today Doug and I are celebrating our three year anniversary. Three years ago today he took my hand when we were waiting in line for the Magritte exhibit at the LA County Museum and that was that. He felt like home.
This relationship - practicing loving and receiving love every day - has been a transformative experience.
Once when I asked one of my athletic cousins about her softball rehearsal - she corrected me. "Softball practice." She went on to say, "When you go to rehearsal you do the same thing over and over again, and when you get to the performance, you know how things will turn out. With sports, you don't know the rules, you develop your skills, but you don't know what's going to happen in advance."
The word practice reminds me of a time in my life when I was a yoga addict. Though not a sport - it is something practiced. And I practiced it enough that I have muscle memory and can still do many of the poses. (Even unfit athletes have a few surprises.)
I started my practice when I was new to Los Angeles. A close friend of mine wanted me to go roller blading on the strand -- though I was thinner, after blading two hundred yards, I sensed impending doom and sat down on the concrete and took of the inline skates before I broke a bone.
So, while she continued roller blading, I wandered into a Power Yoga class. The instructor was a free spirited soul with a very spiritual practice and I was hooked.
Yoga is a lot like being in a relationship - each pose both builds strength and increases flexibility.
The most important thing is to show up and be present.
There is no final destination, the most experienced yogi wouldn't claim perfection in any pose.
The greatest compliment you can give another yogi is, "You have a strong practice."
Doug and I have a strong life practice. Both of us came to this relationship after living strong willed and set in our ways. So, we practice flexibility and compromise a lot. I'd say we're still beginners. Lucky for us we have a lifetime to learn.
We've grown stronger for ourselves and for each other and have learned that muscling through a situation does not replace core strength and proper alignment. (And if you understand that -- perhaps you have been a yoga addict too.)
We laugh a lot. And dance with each other and our pets. And because of him, I'm practicing sports and working at becoming more fit.
I will write more later. But, now, I'm going to go home to have dinner with my fiance.
Happy Wednesday!
